Posted on 04/23/2004 4:21:45 PM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
April 23, 2004: The U.S. Marine Corps is looking for a new .45 caliber (11.4mm) pistol. While the American military retired the M1911 .45 caliber in 1985, some commando units still prefer it. This is because the 11.4mm (.45 caliber) bullet weighs twice as much as the 9mm one that replaced it and still has an edge in "stopping" someone hit with it. But the 9mm M9 pistol magazine carries 15 rounds, versus seven in the M1911. The commandos (Special Forces, SEALs, Marine Force Recon) counter that their operations are the type where every round counts, and the fewer you have to fire the better. For the regular troops, the M9 has been popular, and successful. The 9mm weapon is lighter, has less recoil and has the extra ammo for users who are not sharpshooters.
The Marines want to buy 1,100 new .45 caliber pistols and are having a competition to determine which of several models available will get the $1.9 million contract. The Marines have been using M1911s rebuilt from the many old ones turned in when everyone switched to the M9. But even this supply is running out, and it is known that there are newer .45 caliber designs out there that are more reliable, lighter, easier to repair and more accurate. Some Marines (and other troops) buy these newer .45 caliber weapons with their own money. Most American combat units tolerate troops bringing in some additional weapons, especially pistols. Some troops have been buying 10mm pistols, seeing this as a nice cross between the lighter weight of the M9 (2.55 pounds versus three for the .45) and the greater stopping power of the 11.4mm M1911 bullet. But there are new .45 models that weigh as much as the M9, carry more bullets (10) and are easier to repair than the M1911.
Afghanistan also raised the issue of stopping power once more, when individual troops went into caves or other tight places, where only a pistol could be used. In these cases, every shot counted, and the guy firing larger (like 11.4mm instead of 9mm) bullets was more likely to win. But most troops agree that any arguments over pistols is minor compared to issues involving all the other more frequently used weapons and bits of equipment. Nevertheless, there's something about pistols…
Have you fired a CZ-52 pistol yet? They are quite inexpensive (around $100 if you have a C&R plus the wholesalers deliver next day air. ) and fire a fairly impressive round. 7.62x25 Roller lock action and they field strip easy.
The Czech Vz52 pistol is a dandy handgun, though not for those with tiny hands or who are sensitive to a healthy bark upon discharge. They've become quite popular, and the price for one in really decent condition has been creeping upward over the last few months toward closer to $200 than a hundred, but still a bargain. Custom concealment holsters are now available, and there's at least one custom pistolsmith working on them, offering Novak fixed target sights, among other offerings. Nice little shooters, and priced right.
Reminds me of the mafiosa talking with a Las Vegas newcomer who asked the question,"Is it true that the mafia buries their hits out in the desert?"
(reply)
"Do we look like the kind of men who would use a shovel, when you drop them from 10,000 feet at 300 mph, they bury themselves."
In the area where I worked in the 1980s as a newspaper columnist [in an area where the mafia is more tenderly known as *the outfit*] it was a commonly-held bit of knowledge that a local dentist was the bagman for about a three-county area of our state. Unfortunately, the successful businessman was diagnosed with cancer, and thereafter suddenly disappeared from the local scene, reportedly with a shipment for his business associates that he had yet to deliver, reportedly about a Coleman cooler's worth of $100 bills, around $900,000.
He was last heard of in the Las Vegas area, enjoying what fun in life he could, until the Collectors caught up with him. His remains were found in the desert outside of Las Vegas, with the evident results of 12 bullet wounds from two handguns of different calibers having done their work on him.
His death was nevertheless ruled a suicide. Which, in one way of looking at it, it was.
Better, far, far better to do so with a flash of insight after long study and consideration, than suddenly, following an event that leaves you shaking uncontrollably with your ears ringing and a dry taste of copper in your mouth.
I hope you're joking.
You're not holding it right. Or maybe you need to do some wrist exercises. I'm not exactly Mr. Big Burly Macho-Man, but when I do a "Mozambique" drill, the two-in-the-chest hit within 6 inches of each other (at about 50 feet). I don't feel a huge difference in recoil between 9mm (Browning GP), .40 (Glock) and .45 (M1911A1).
I've been pestering SIG for a long time to make a 10mm version of the P220. I love my P220 .45 but in 10mm, I'd never carry anything else!
Mike
I've seen unsavoury folks at commercial indoor pistol ranges in Maryland, doing the sideways handgun thing ... They do it because they learnt eveything they know about guns from Rap videos.
I tried gan'sta style once, out of curiosity. at very close range (15 feet or so), I was able to hit what I was pointing at ... beyond that range sighted aiming becomes necessary, and gan'sta style is just a way of tossing lead downrange.
That gadget kinda of blurs the line on that!
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